Football: Philo ready for another physical test

A gang of Philo defenders tackle St. Clairsville's Brady Kolb during their Division IV, Region 15 playoff game last Friday. The Electrics' defense faces another rugged test this week against Gnadenhutten Indian Valley.(Photo: Chris Crook/Times Recorder)Buy Photo

DUNCAN FALLS - The line of scrimmage is an ugly place, straight out of the mind of Charles Darwin.

One could say football, particularly in the trenches, is classic example of Darwin's "survival of the fittest" theory. Being the aggressor, regardless of its painstaking nature, is a necessary quest to make it another day.

Philo's Division IV, Region 15 playoff game against unbeaten Gnadenhutten Indian Valley will follow that line of thought.

Two teams known for their physical play will line up on the field on Friday night at Meadowbrook High School, with the survivor of the carnage earning the right to play either John Glenn (9-2) or Licking Valley (11-0) for a berth in the final four.

It would be the Electrics' first berth in the regional finals. They reached the semifinals last season before falling to Shelby at Westerville Central, and they fell to Indian Valley in 2013 in the same round.

"We'd be the first team to ever make the regional finals and that would mean a lot to us because we're trying to leave a good legacy," senior linebacker Nick Hoffer said. "It would build up the underclassmen to prove what Philo football is all about and what we can provide the league."

With three regional semifinal teams on its schedule, along with two others with winning records, Philo played arguably the most daunting schedule in the Muskingum Valley League.

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Tri-Valley, John Glenn and Philo all compete in Week 2 of the playoffs.
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Two of its losses came to playoff teams, but the Electrics were competitive in both games. They are one of two teams to defeat John Glenn, which itself has a chance at the final four on Friday.

Multi-talented Isaac Gill, the team's quarterback and ball-hawking free safety, called the season "a roller coaster, but with less bumps."

"It got us ready the best it could," Hoffer said. "Because with Sheridan being good, John Glenn being good, Tri-Valley, Walnut Ridge -- all those big games prepared us for this big week.

"We've been here before, so we know what to expect," Hoffer added, speaking of last year's playoff experience. "It will be at a neutral site, so it's all about who travels well. You just have to get yourself pumped up and get the team to rally together."

The Braves, champions of the Inter-Valley Conference, run a two-back offense that features a breakaway threat in 5-9, 145-pound tailback Caden Hostetler. He has more than 1,500 yards rushing, while junior Cade Williams, a 6-foot, 185-pounder, has proven a capable passer.

Defensively, they allowed six opponents seven points or less but yielded 96 points to the three playoff teams on their schedule.

Their landmark win came in Week 2 against Akron Manchester, a perennial power in Division V, while they scored on the final play of the game to top Uhrichsville Claymont, 45-42, in Week 10. Ironically, that Braves win went a long way toward pushing the Electrics into the postseason.

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Philo head coach Dirk Lincicome encourages his team during its win against St. Clairsville last Friday in the Division IV, Region 15 playoffs. The Electrics will play Gnadenhutten Indian Valley this week in the regional semifinals.(Photo: Chris Crook/Times Recorder)

Philo coach Dirk Lincicome said that, like last week, his team must win the fight inside against a bigger Braves offensive front. Led by Hostetler, he said the Braves have speed at all positions that touch the ball.

He said Hostetler isn't a back that will shut down, but slowing him down is a requirement.

"I told the kids the other day that if a kid has a single game where he rushes for 300 yards, you can write that off as kind of a fluke performance," he added. "But if you rush for 2,000 yards in a season, that's not a fluke. That means you are one of the best backs in the state, certainly in our division."

Lincicome knows a win would be big for the program.

"To do something we've never done, we've got to be willing to fight harder than we've ever fought," Lincicome said. "We've got to be willing to play better than we've ever played. It would be special."